Maryland utility regulators and a power plant developer they offered subsidies both expressed disappointment that the Supreme Court ruled against them Monday, but disagreed over what that means for future state efforts to encourage power plant construction.
The court decided Maryland overstepped its authority when the Public Service Commission ordered state utilities to buy electricity generated at a $775 million natural gas plant that Silver Spring-based Competitive Power Ventures is building in Charles County. The state’s actions stepped into the territory of federal regulators, the court ruled.
While the high court made that position clear in its unanimous decision, the ruling did not set a precedent that would be applicable in other states trying to increase electric grid capacity or spur renewable energy projects, argued Braith Kelly, senior vice president for external affairs for Competitive Power Ventures.
“They went a long way toward defining what states can do, but there are a lot of other issues surrounding this,” Kelly said. “This ruling was extremely narrow. It didn’t deal with a lot of other issues that remain in question.”
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Scott Dance over at the Baltimore Sun
